• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

MayorWatch

London News and Comment

  • NEWS
  • Twitter

Sadiq Khan urged to let Londoners vote on his annual budget

February 21, 2018 - Martin Hoscik@MayorWatch

Mayor Sadiq Khan has been urged to radically overhaul how Londoners are consulted about his spending plans after a public consultation on last year’s budget drew just 12 responses.

City Hall routinely invites members of the public and other stakeholders to share their thoughts on key mayoral strategies and plans, including its budget, but participation levels remain low despite widespread publicity on social media and in the press.

Labour’s leader on the London Assembly, Len Duvall, says it’s time to accept the current approach isn’t working and to replace it with a new “participatory” process in which Londoners vote on how the budget is spent.

Similar votes are held in other world cities, including Paris where 158,000 people took part in the latest exercise.

In a report published today, Mr Duvall suggests that allowing the public to vote on spending plans would unlock “a significant pool of untapped creativity and energy from the residents of London,” while boosting engagement with the Mayor and City Hall’s work.

The report suggests that the existing Talk London website, which currently allows Londoners to discuss aspects of London life and policy making, could be used both to submit ideas for schemes the Mayor could fund, and to allow members of the public to vote on the final budget.

Mr Duvall said: “Londoners from all backgrounds must be given a say over how their money is being spent in the budget, as well as the opportunity to contribute ideas and their opinions about key policy priorities.
 
“Previous Mayoral budget consultations have had low engagement from the public, this is why I have launched a report that calls for a participatory budgeting system in London.
 
“We already have some of the groundwork in place for this system to be introduced, and we can learn from other major world cities such as Paris and New York where participatory budgeting has worked well.
 
”We have been following the same Mayoral budgeting processes for the last 18 years, and it is clear that it is now time for a change.”

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)

RECENT UPDATES

TfL proposes bus and tube cuts and annual fares increases to achieve long-term financial sustainability

London’s entire bus fleet now meets ULEZ emissions standards

New road layout comes into effect at Old Street roundabout

TfL funding enables creation of 2,000 new cycle parking spaces




Popular

1,700 extra Santander Cycles are coming to London’s streets

TfL confirms changes to Older Person’s Freedom Pass and 60+ Oyster card hours

TfL fares to rise in return for £1.6bn Government rescue package

Election for Mayor of London and London Assembly postponed until 2021

FEATURED

City Hall to move to Docklands as Mayor seeks to raise £55m for frontline services

‘Concern’ over TfL’s ability to deliver major projects in wake of Crossrail cost overruns

City Hall halts London Overground ticket office closures but many will still see opening hours reduced

Transport for London confirms bus cuts will go ahead despite passenger opposition

GOT A STORY?

As the original London news and scrutiny site we've been casting an eye over the capital's public services and politicians since 1999.

 

Many of our top stories started with a tip-off from a reader - if you've got something you'd like us to cover get in touch and we'll do the rest.

Stay In Touch

  • E-mail
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Copyright © 2021 MayorWatch Publications Limited · MayorWatch is Registered Trademark · All Rights Reserved · Contact Us · Terms of Use · Privacy Policy

MayorWatch Publications Limited · 20-22 Wenlock Road · London N1 7GU · Company Number 6291816

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.